London’s murder rate has overtaken New York City for the first time ever and for the second month in a row. The month of February was the first month in which the UK capital had more murders than the “Big Apple” with 15 dead (nine of which were 30 or under). London also suffered 22 fatal stabbings and shootings in March (compared to 21 in NY).
Both cities have around 8.5 million people. New York City’s murder rate has decreased by around 87 per cent since the 1990s when there were 2,000. Meanwhile, London’s murder rate has grown by nearly 40 per cent in just three years. And this does not include deaths caused by terrorist attacks.
Approximately 30 of the deaths in London in 2018 have been by knife. Fatal stabbings in England and Wales are now at their highest levels since 2011, rising by 12 per cent in the year ending December 2017.
Jacob Whittingham, charity head of programmes for Fight for Peace, said, “What’s scary about London is the randomness of the crime. With young people in London, you have no idea if and when you may be the victim of a violent crime — that’s why they feel the need to carry weapons.”
Metropolitan Commissioner Cressida Dick, Britain’s most senior police officer, said websites and mobile phone applications such as YouTube, Snapchat and Instagram were partially to blame for the bloodshed.
New York’s decrease is credited to its zero-tolerance policing model which has driven down the homicide rate from around 2,000 deaths in 1990 to 230 last year.
London, however, is experiencing a spike in violent crime. According to the Telegraph, a person is nearly six times more likely to be burgled in London than in New York City, and 1.5 times as likely to fall victim to a robbery. London also has nearly three times the number of reported rapes, though reporting methodology may account for the vastly higher number in London.
“The world over, cities are becoming hotbeds of vice. On every hand are the sights and sounds of evil. Everywhere are enticements to sensuality and dissipation. The tide of corruption and crime is continually swelling. Every day brings the record of violence,—robberies, murders, suicides, and crimes unnamable.” Country Living, page 5.
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